Margarita Punch

1 bottle corona beer
1 frozen can limeade
2 cans 7 up
1 cup tequila

Mix limeade and tequila well in the pampered chef quik-stir pitcher.
Add Corona and 7up
Plunge/mix a couple times and it will fizz up
Serve over ice.

A play on margaritas – very simple and refreshing!

Mulligatawny Soup

Base Ingredients:
Masoor Dal (red lentils) or Toor Dal (split pigeon dal) MUST BE WASHED
Potatoes
Carrots
Tomatoes
Lime
Tamarind concentrate
Coconut milk
Madras Curry Powder (Priya brand is the best)

Other Ingredients:
2 red onions (diced)
3 cloves of garlic
2” ginger
2 potatoes (diced)
3 tomatoes (diced)
4 carrots (diced)

On Flame
2 tsp of canola and olive oil mix or ghee or unsalted butter
Add ginger and garlic and sauté DO NOT BROWN
Add onion (should be translucent not caramelized)
Add carrots and potatoes
Add ½ tsp turmeric over vegetables and wait 1 minute
Add red lentils and wait 1 minute
Add tomatoes
Add 1 tbsp curry
Add TONS OF PEPPER
Wait 1 minute
Add 2 cups vegetable stock (always double or triple the lentils)
Add 2 cups of water
MAKE SURE TO KEEP THE TOP OFF. Boil the mixture for about 25 minutes, and then simmer. You will know it is done when you can push your nail through the carrots.
Add I tsp salt
Blend the soup
Add 1 tblspn turmeric concentrate
Add the juice of ½ of a lime
Add ¼ cup of coconut milk
Add handful of cilantro

Saffron Rice

Ingredients
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp milk
3 pinches of saffron (put this in the milk)
1 bay leaf
2 seeds of cardamom

Instructions:
Add tbsp olive oil to pan
Add bay leaf and cardamom (the heat should not be too high)
Add 2 cups of washed long grain basmati rice
Add 2 tsp sugar and wait 1 min
Add milk then rice
Add a pinch of Shahi Jeera (in the cumin family)
Add 1 tsp of salt (must be added before the water!)

Now turn the heat on high and heat uncovered
Should boil until almost all of the water is gone. Once the water has evaporated cover and simmer. When almost all of the water is gone add a pinch of saffron,
Fluff the rice and add deep fried onion chips, cilantro and a tomato flower

Cucumber Raita

Ingredients:
Yogurt
Cucumber
Cumin
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:
Cut ½ of a cucumber
Add ½ tsp of cumin and mix
Add a little pepper and mix
Add a little salt and mix
Add 3 big serving spoonfuls of yogurt and mix

Samosas

Stuffing # 1
2 tbsp oil
ginger
1 small diced Serrano pepper
2 tsp Cumin
1 ¼ cup precooked peas
Pinch of Carom Seeds
½ tsp  Garam Masala
1 tbsp dry mango powder
1 tbsp Chaat Masala
1 tbsp cayenne chili powder
1 tbsp coriander1 tbsp salt
6 pre-boiled and diced potatoes
Handful of cilantro
Lemon or Lime juice 


Over medium heat add oil (for every six potatoes)
Add ginger, Serrano pepper, cumin (should be making popping noises). 
You will know it is done because the cumin slightly increases in size.
Add peas, spices (carom, garam masala, mango powder, chatt masala, chili powder, coriander, salt) and potatoes (add them last so they can soak up the flavor)
Mix and cook
Add cilantro and turn off heat/gas
Add the juice of ¼ of a lemon or lime
(It is important not to over stir because the peas get squished)

Stuffing # 2 
2 pinches of Cumin
1 clove of garlic
½ red onion chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 lb defrosted blanched spinach (can defrost for about 4 minutes)
3 tbsp feta
1 spoon salt 
Lime juice

Use veggie oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat to medium-low
Add cumin (if the oil is too hot it will crackle and turn black)
Add garlic, red onions and cook for about a minute (they have been cooked too long if they are clear)
Add chili powder, Garam Masala, and spinach mix and sauté
Remove from the heat and allow to cool
Then add feta, salt and ½ of the juice from a lime

Dough #1 (Pepperidge Farm Sheet Dough)
Cut into a rectangle (sometimes you will have to roll it)
Cut it into smaller rectangles (don’t forget that it is ok to stretch)
Make the dough into a cone and add the stuffing
Close it up and use a fork to score the edges
Set the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes


Dough # 2 (Filo Dough)
Must keep the dough under a damp paper towel
Follow the folding instructions and use water to seal the edges
Once they are stuffed, put them under damp paper towels
Fill a pan with vegetable oil and heat on medium (the oil is hot enough when a tiny ball of dough is dropped in and makes a popping noise and immediately rises to the top)
Gently place the samosa in the oil and wait 2-3 minutes (until the edges are brown)
Take out and place on a plate covered with a paper towel

Dough # 3 (homemade)
1 cup of flour
2 tbsp cream of wheat
2 tbsp ghee
½ cup water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of carom seeds

Add flour, cream of wheat, ghee and ¼ a cup water directly into the blender
Blend while slowly adding the rest of the water
Add carom seeds
When the dough is in a ball remove from the blender
Slowly split the dough in half until you have 16 equal pieces
Roll each ball into a circle and cut in half (the edges should be thinner than the center
Fold and stuff
Follow the above instructions for cooking while remembering that home made dough takes longer to cook!

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:

9 tbsp Whole milk powder

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch baking soda

5,6 Green cardamom seeds powder

1 tbsp clarified butter

4 tbsp greek yogurt or whole milk yogurt

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

Part I - Simple sugar syrup (Has to be ready before Jamuns)

1)  Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in one cup water,rest of the cardamom, a pinch of saffron0 and boil the mixture.

Part II -- Gulab Jamun

1)  Mix together milk powder,all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder half of the cardamom powder, clarified butter and slowly add yougurt to the mixture.  Do  not knead the dough too tight.

2)  Rub some butter on the palm of your hand, so that the dough won't stick to your hand while rolling Jamuns.

3)  Roll the balls of equal size.

4)  Deep fry the jamuns on low heat till they turn light brown in color. DO NOT FRY THEM ON HIGH HEAT or else only the out side will be cooked and they will get hard when you soak them in sugar syrup.

 

5) Soak all the jamuns in syrup until they expand.

Part III - Combination of Syrup and Gulab Jamun

1)Heat them till first boil. You will see the size of the jamuns increasing in syryp during the boiling.

2)Before serving , soak the jamuns at least for 5-6 hours

Palak Paneer

Ingredients                        
2 lbs Frozen spinach
1 tbsp chana dal soaked in water for about an hour
1 onion diced
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 inch ginger
1 garlic clove
1 Green chili
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp Cumin
200 gms paneer cubed and shallow fried
2 Tbsp heavy cream (optional)
Few drops of lime juice

1) In a pressure cooker add spinach, chana dal, diced onions,chili, tomatoes, ginger and garlic clove with little water. Cook it till 1 whistle. DO NOT OVER COOK.
2) Once cooled mash the mixture with hand mixer. Keep it aside.
3) In kadhai heat oil and temper it with cumin.
4) Add chopped onions. Saute till transparent.
5) Pour the palak mixture on heated oil and jeera.
6) Add garam masala and cook for another 2 min.
7) Add fried paneer and salt
8) Finish the recipe with adding heavy cream and chopped coriander
9) Once the flame is turned off sprinkle few drops of lime juice to give the extra touch

Chicken Biryani

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 lbs of chicken*
4 tbs biryani masala or Kachha Masala
11/2 cups Basmati Rice,washed
1/2tsp black cumin (shaha jeera)
1 inch cinnamon stick 3
2-3 green cardamoms
1/2 cup skim milk
few strands of saffron soaked in milk
Extra cashews to garnish
Deep fried onion chips
yellow food color
Raisins to garnish
Unsalted butter or ghee
2 thinly sliced onions

                     
*In india we use whole chicken, but you can substitute this with skinless, boneless chicken cut into big pieces
                                             
Homemade Marinate Ingredients
4 cloves
2 cardamoms
1 black cardamom
15-20 black pepper
tsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp shaha jeera
2 1/2tbsp grated ginger
garlic
coriander leaves
chopped green chilies paste
2/3 cup plain yougurt
2 Tbs tomato paste.
1 tsp chili powder (this you can adjust according to your spice level)


Chicken Recipe
1) Mix all the ingredients of marinate and marinate the chicken at least for 2 hours.
2) In pan add about 1 table spoon of butter or ghee and saute the marinated chicken for couple of min. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook on slow flame. The required consistencey of the chicken for this recipe is of curry not soupy.

                                                 
Rice Recipe
1) Wash rice with water, rinse and keep aside for 2 hours.
2) Heat oil or ghee in the pan.
3) Add bayleaf,cumin,cinamon stick,cardamoms and rice.
4) Add 3 cups of hot water and enough salt to the rice.
5) once all the water is evaporated from the rice turn the flame off
6) Split the rice in two parts in two diffrent plates.
7) In one part add the mix of milk saffron and yellow color and gently mix the rice
                       
How to layer the Biryani
1) In the heavy bottom container add oil adnd layers of onions.
2) Add the layer of white rice on the top
3) The second layer will be of chicken
4) Arrange top layer of yellow saffron flavored rice
5) Layer of deep fried onions,cashews and raisins.
6) Make little holes in the layered rice and pour ghee or butter in it..
7) Cover and steam

Vegatable Cutlets

Ingredients:
1) 1/2 cup green peas boiled and mashed
2) 1/4 cup grated carrot
3) 1/4 cup grated cabbage
4) 1/4 cup finely chopped green beans
5) 6-7 medium sized potatoes boiled and mashed
6) 1/4 cup grated beet root ( optional)
7) 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger and garlic and 1 tsp of chopped green chilies
8) 1 tbsp Pav bhaji masala or 1/2 tbsp of Garam masala
9) 1 tsp Chaat masala
10) 2 tsp lemon/lime juice
11) Handful of chopped coriander
12) 1 Tbsp corn starch
13) Samolina or bread crumbs for coating
14) Oil for shallow frying


Recipe :
1) In pan heat 1tbsp oil and saute chopped garlic, ginger and green chilies
2) Saute all the veggies except potatoes starting with carrot and cabbage since it takes longer to cook.
3) Add all the dry masalas and let it cook for a min.
4) Add constarch 
5) Add salt and mashed potatoes.
6) Turn off the heat and then add lemon juice.
7) Once the stuffing is cooled down make cutlets in any shape you like, most popular is 'HEART'
8) Coat each cutlet with either semolina or breadcrumbs and shallow fry till golden brown.
9) Garnish with salad leaves and onion rings and serve with Green chutney or tomato ketchup.
You can add any other veggies of your choice like grated zuccini,spinach, even arugula.

Amritsari Aloo

A curried dish of potatoes from Northen part of India

Serves 2-4

Ingredients :

1) 10 to 12 Baby potatoes
2) 8oz can of crushed tomatoes
3) 1 tsp Fennel seeds ( Saunf)
4) 1/2 tsp Onion seeds ( Kalonji)
5) 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds ( Methi seeds)
6) 1 tsp Red chilli powder
7) 1 tsp Paprika
8) 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
9) 1/2 tsp Coriander powder ( optional)
10) 1/2 cup chopped corainder
11) 8-10 Curry leaves
) 1/4 cup chopped onion
13) 4 tbsp oil
14) Salt to taste

Instructions:
1) Boil the potatoes. If using 12 potatoes, keep 8 potatoes whole and mash the remaining four.
2) In sauce pan heat oil and add saunf,methi seeds, curry leaves, kalonji. Do not burn the spices.
3) Add the onions and saute the onions till golden brown.
4) Add rest of the spices except salt and corinder leaves.
5) stir fry for a min and then add crushed tomatoes.
6) Once the gravy gets little dry add potatoes and about 2-3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil
7) Add salt and chopped coriander and let it boil for another 5 to 10 min.

Vermicilli Khir

An indian dessert with roasted noodles

Ingredients :
1) 1 cup store bought roasted vermicilli ( Bambino brand)
2) 3 cups whole milk ( half and half for thicker version of the recipe)
3) 1 tsp Ghee ( clarified butter)
4) 1/2 tsp cardamom powder or 5 to 6 cardamom pods deseeded and crushed
5) 1 tbsp sliced almonds
6) 1 tbsp golden raisins
7) 1/2 tsp Saffron

Recipe :
1) Heat the milk in the microwave for about 10 min.
2) While the milk is boiling in the heavy bottom pan add 1 tsp of ghee and roast the vermicillis just less then a min.                    
DO NOT OVER ROAST SINCE THEY ARE ALREADY ROASTED. Over roasting of vermicills will change their color and  will taste bitter.
3) Pour the milk with saffron on the vermicills and stir.
4) When the milk starts boiling, lower the heat and add sugar. Be careful while adding the sugar since the milk will splatter.
5) Once all the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat.
6) Add almonds and cardamom powder once the Khir cools down.